Chance Encounter, Fated Waltz
by Penulis
Summary: Ambrose was ten years old when he first visited the Royal court.


**Disclaimer: I don't own Tin Man. I just enjoy playing around with the world and its characters.**

**Reviews are welcome.**

**Chance Encounter, Fated Waltz**

Ambrose was ten years old when he first visited the Royal court. From the age of eight he had been apprentice to the great Umberto, revered alchemist and Advisor to the Lord of the Northern Isles.

It was the day of blessing for the newest member of the Royal family, Princess Azkadellia, and invitations to the prestigious event had been sent to every province of the O.Z. Lord Galdernon had decided to send his most trusted Advisor and closest friend to offer congratulations on behalf of the Northern Isles and present their gift for the little Princess. Naturally, Ambrose had accompanied his master and was bursting with excitement at the prospect of finally seeing Central City.

The Royal hall was sumptuously decorated and filled with hundreds of guests, with the Royal family were upon a marble dais, the Queen sitting on her throne with the Consort at her side, a hand resting upon her shoulder. A few metres away from the Royal couple was a bassinet, with pale green silk and ribbon, where the Princess Azkadellia lay. Ambrose stood in line with the Advisor, and could not help but frown as Ambassadors from other provinces approached the dais, offering their congratulations and presenting their gifts to the Royals. All their gifts, albeit very impressive, were hardly something a young Princess would enjoy, he secretly reveled in the knowledge of their own gift. After addressing the Queen and Consort, each Ambassador moved towards the bassinet and bowed in acknowledgment of their future Queen.

It was not long before Ambrose followed his master up to the dais feeling so overwhelmed, he could not bring himself to look upon the Royals for more than a few moments.

"and who is this, Master Umberto?" Upon hearing the gentle voice of the Queen, a great sense of calm and serenity engulf him and managed to meet her gaze with a small smile.

"My apprentice, your Majesty, a boy with a great potential." Ambrose could not prevent a blush as he stepped forward, knowing it was his moment.

"Our gift for the Princess Azkadellia" he said and revealed an intricate mobile, adorned with animals of the O.Z. fashioned out of fine coloured crystals. Ambrose pressed a button at the top, gently let go, and the mobile hovered in the air, playing a beautiful melody. Master Umberto began to explain the safety precautions of the mobile, but Ambrose kept his gaze on the Royal couple, who looked simply delighted by the device. Being so close to the rulers of his world, Ambrose could not believe, as glorious and, well, royal as they were, how ordinary they also seemed. It was a comforting thought, he decided.

The moment had come to acknowledge the young Princess, and Ambrose needed no prompt to make his way to the bassinet. He had assumed the infant would be fast asleep, oblivious to the goings on around her. However he amazed to see as he looked down on his future Queen, bright amethyst eyes looking back at him. Slight tufts of dark chestnut hair framed her face, and to Ambrose, the young heir apparent almost seemed to be glowing, surely a sign of her magical potential. He couldn't help the wide smile that adorned his face as he looked at Azkadellia, her bright eyes not leaving his as she reached out her chubby arm and the young apprentice could not resist reaching out a hand to touch the tiny one reaching out to him. He was surprised by the strong grip the Princess seemed to have, even more so when she pulled her hand to his mouth and tried to dismember his fingers.

It was Master Umberto who brought him back to the present, an amused smile on his face and he motioned that their time was up. Ambrose gently pulled his hand away and looked over to see the next ambassadors in line glaring at them impatiently and felt himself go red, however a quick glance back the Royal couple showed them looking highly amused by the situation, the Consort even giving Ambrose a small nod as he quickly followed his master from the dais. As they resumed their seats, Ambrose tuned out the rest of the ceremony as he thought of the little Princess and those bright amethyst eyes.

* * *

He was seventeen when he next returned to the Royal court, this time for the blessing of Princess D.G. The ceremony did not differ from Azkadellia's, although Ambrose noted rather smugly, this time the majority of the gifts seemed to be child appropriate. One marked difference, however, was that Ambrose was deemed old enough to attend the elaborate ball held in the evening. After two hours of fine music, food and wine, Ambrose was beginning to question if he would have been better off not attending at all. His Master had told him he had business to discuss, so to go and enjoy himself. However while he had tried, he was deigned "too young and inexperienced" to be involved in any of the interesting conversation concerning the latest in Ozian science or invention and found the conversation he was permitted to partake in dull and trivial. Worst of all, every time he asked one of the young ladies to dance, they would pass him over, some making polite excuses and others not bothering at all and just laughing as they walked away. So Ambrose found himself standing towards the edge of the ballroom, trying not to feel too humiliated as he watched the glittering procession.

As Ambrose's mind turned to stimulating growth patterns of crops, he started when something caught his eye from the other side of the room. He was sure he had seen a flash of something behind one of the pillars. Having nothing better to do, he crossed the room, moving closer. He casually leaned against one of the pillars, and a little gasp was emitted from behind him. A patter of footsteps could be heard and from his peripheral he could see something moving back into the shadows. He skillfully turned, surprising his would be assailant. Yet it was Ambrose who backed up against the pillar, eyes wide in shock. Wide amber eyes met amethyst ones, and although he had see them once before, he knew he would recognise them anywhere. Princess Azkadellia stood before him, head slightly bowed with her hands clasped in front of her. Trying not to be deterred by the sight, he immediately fell into his royal mode, making a flourished bow towards the young Royal.

"Your highness"

Azkadellia remained where she was, eyes wide, but gave a quick nod of her head in acknowledgment. She peered around Ambrose, scanning the room, before darting back into the shadows.

"Are you quite alright, Princess?" Ambrose asked, puzzled.

"Please don't tell anyone I'm here." Came the reply, soft and melodic.

"Why would I tell anyone, Highness?"

"Because I'm not supposed to be, I'm too young, apparently." she muttered the last part, eyes glittering and the young apprentice had to muffle a laugh.

"Well you certainly look ready for a ball" The Princess looked down at her gown, pale yellow and shimmering and let out a small smile.

"Yes, I got ready myself. I may not be allowed to be here, but I thought I would just come and watch, especially the dancing."

"Do you like to dance, your Highness?"

"Oh yes!" the Princess replied, eyes shining "I'm not very good yet, but I can waltz! I do love the waltz."

"Me too." Ambrose replied, smiling brightly as well. "I'm Ambrose by the way." The Princess moved closer, holding out her hand, which Ambrose gently kissed.

"Azkadellia."

"I know." the young girl blushed at this, and Ambrose grinned back. They were interrupted by applause coming from the dance floor, and the strains of a waltz began, making Ambrose smile.

"I do love this piece." he looked over at Azkadellia, whose eyes were glued to the couples preparing to dance. "May I have this dance, your Highness?" Azkadellia swiveled around, temporarily forgetting Princesses do not gape and looked over at the young man now holding his hand out to her. She beamed, the brightest smile Ambrose had ever seen and nodded as she took his hand. He bowed as she curtsied and they assumed a traditional waltz position, Azkadellia just tall enough to place her hand on his shoulder. Ambrose waited two measures then they were off, moving gracefully to the music within the shadows of the pillars.

"You are better than you give yourself credit for, Princess" Ambrose said a few moments later.

"Well, it feels easy with you, Mister Ambrose." Azkadellia blushed at being so forward with a complete stranger, but the apprentice merely smiled.

"It's all about rhythm, Highness, and it's Ambrose."

"Alright Ambrose." The pair continued their dance, Azkadellia soon forgetting to count the steps in her head and following the music like a natural.

"There is a story behind this waltz you know." Ambrose watched as the young Princess's face lit up.

"Really?"

"Why of course! Behind every piece of good music, there is always a good story."

"Will you tell me then Ambrose?"

"Very well. This particular waltz belongs to a pair of young lovers. There was once a beautiful young Princess. One day she went for a walk through the wood, and happened upon a stranger, a young man. He was handsome, beguiling, extremely debonair..." Ambrose gently spun Azkadellia out and back in, causing her to gasp in surprise, giggling as she tried to remain upright.

"The pair were instantly drawn to one another, and the young man asked her to dance. The pair waltzed together for hours..."

"To this waltz?"

"To this very waltz."

"That's impossible!" Ambrose almost stumbled at her exclamation. "Where was the music? The couldn't dance without music!" The young Princess fixed Ambrose with a haughty gaze, and he fought to keep a straight face.

"Why Princess, I'm surprised at you. It was all magic of course!"

"Oh.." the Princess nodded sagely at this, for she was at the age where little girls believe magic could solve everything. "I see. So what happened next?"

"Well as the couple danced, they fell in love. Little did the Princess know, the handsome young stranger was in truth a Prince, her Prince charming." Ambrose had to pause, for he was held by the delighted look on his partner's face, he could not resist smiling. Both were too absorbed to noticed they had waltzed away from the pillars and towards the edge of the dance floor.

"It that how it ends?"

"Oh no, this is a fairytale Princess, and every fairy tale has a does of wickedness. The Princess, while young and beautiful, was a mischievous girl." Ambrose noticed the Princess blush slightly at this. "She wandered away, to somewhere she wasn't supposed to go and was tricked by an evil sorceress. She pricked her finger upon a spinning wheel and fell into a deep slumber for many years." Ambrose pulled Azkadellia slightly towards him, guiding her away from a collision with another dancing couple. Amazingly, she kept perfect time, she seemed so deep in thought that her instinct had taken over.

"Well come on! There must be a happy ending, fairy tales don't end like that!"

"You're absolutely right. Her Prince charming had not forgotten his lovely Princess. He traversed the land, facing many perils, and eventually battled the sorceress herself."

"Did he win?" Ambrose did not reply, and Azkadellia leaned forward, growing more and more anxious. "Well, did he?"

"Of course. He defeated the evil sorceress and the Princess was set free by a kiss from her Prince charming."

"and did they dance again?"

"They dance again."

"To this song?"

"To this very song."

"Then what?" Ambrose blinked owlishly at her, he didn't think there was anything else.

"Did they live happily ever after?" Realisation dawned in the apprentice's eyes.

"Oh, oh yes, they lived happily ever after."

"Good" Azkadellia gave a quick nod of satisfaction and Ambrose twirled her around once more. Just as unassuming as before, the girl emitted another gasp, laughing in delight. By this time the majority of the room had noticed the young heir apparent and her dance partner by now, but the pair remained oblivious to all. The made a few more turns before the piece came to an end, where Ambrose bowed and the Princess curtsied towards each other. Applause sounded and Ambrose realised where they were, and that they had a small audience. As he saw the Queen and Consort moving towards them, the apprentice realised the full extent of his actions and his stomach turned. Yet the little Princess attached to his side was still beaming up at him, her hand tightly wrapped around his.

"Azkadellia." her head shot up, eyes wide as saucers as she took in her parents.

"Mamma! Pappa!"

"That was quite a show my darling, I had no idea you had advanced so well with your dance lessons."

"Oh it's Ambrose who really helped me Mamma. He saw me and asked to dance and he is wonderful Mamma, did you see?" Ambrose blushed at the praise.

"Oh we did. We all did." it was the Consort who replied and Ambrose looked up with slight apprehension, meeting his gaze. Yet neither the Consort or his Queen looked angry, or even annoyed. They were both smiling at their eldest daughter, adoration and pride clear in their eyes.

"You are Umberto's apprentice, correct?" Ambrose turned, surprised and nodded to the Queen.

"Yes your Majesty."

"I've heard promising things about you, we would like to speak to you further. However I think it is time for bed Dellia." the Princess nodded.

"I must say good night first."

"Indeed you must, and thank you as well." Azkadellia turned to her partner, and he saw that brilliant smile once more. She tugged on his hand and he bent lower, ignoring everyone else and giving her his full attention.

"Thank you so much, Ambrose, for all of it. You're wonderful!" Ambrose smiled.

"You are very welcome you Highness. Thank you for the dance." Azkadellia's amethyst eyes were glowing as she quickly placed a kiss on his cheek. After one more heart warming smile, she turned to her father, taking his hand as he led her from the room.

The ball resumed once more and was rather surprised to see many a young lady hovering nearby, obviously waiting for him to ask for a dance. However he couldn't bring himself to do so, instead searching out his Master who was watching him, eyes twinkling, and he couldn't help but wonder what it was he had been discussing with the Royal couple. He received his answer an hour later, when he was approached again by the Queen and Consort and offered the position of Royal Advisor upon one condition. Ambrose watched the Royal couple carefully, curiosity alight in his amber eyes. The following week, Ambrose was instated as Royal Advisor to the Queen and private dance teacher to Princess Azkadellia.


End file.
